“When Kennedie came along, the other two were in school so I got those whole six hours together, I breastfed her which I hadn’t been able to do like my other children.

"Harleigh would have been my favourite, Addison was a really difficult baby and the other would scream from two in the afternoon to two in the morning — really, really hard work."

How will the other kids feel about this when they grow up?

TV host Holly Willoughby — who has three children — asked how Alisha’s honesty might affect her other children later in life.

“I think I would ... Although they’re my favourites, they don’t get preferential treatment,” said Alisha. “They all get loved equally…They will say, she’s your favourite and I’ll say, yeah she is.

“But when I sat down to talk to them before doing this, they said… They don’t see it as a big deal. They see that age difference and that she’s the baby. Who is to say it doesn’t change as she gets older?”

'How dare she', said Twitter...

UK viewers took to Twitter to express their shock at Alisha’s honesty.

“Imagine growing up and finding out your mum went on national TV to say she has a favourite child and it’s not you,” wrote one viewer.

“Cannot believe this horrible woman saying she has a favourite child. How can any mother feel like this? Setting herself up for a lot of trouble when they are older,” said another.

Is this the ultimate parenting taboo?

"I know how I'd feel if my parents had played favourites," said Kinderling Conversation host, Shevonne Hunt. "And I'd never do that to my kids because it's my job to make them feel that they are loved equally."